Oscar-worthy offerings from Hollywood for this holiday season

It's not nice to fight over the holidays, but the Hollywood studios do it annually as they launch many of their Oscar-contending films in the last six weeks of the years.

This holiday season is no different, with an array of possible Academy Award-worthy movies hitting a cineplex near you: They range from dark comedy ("Silver Linings Playbook") and literary allegories ("Life of Pi") to big musicals ("Les Miserables") and gritty real-life dramas ("Zero Dark Thirty"). There's even a little Quentin Tarantino ("Django Unchained") coming just in time for Christmas.

It should be noted that some buzz-heavy films -- most notably director Kathryn Bigelow's much-anticipated "Zero Dark Thirty" but also "The Impossible," "On the Road" and "Promised Land" -- will open in New York and Los Angeles but won't hit the Bay Area until January.

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So, to help you sort things out and plan your movie schedule, here are the 10 holiday films that have most piqued our interest and may be worth your time and money over the holidays.

All dates are national release:

"Silver Linings Playbook"

Opens: Friday

The story: This dark comedy is about a former teacher with bipolar disorder who is confined to a mental institution after an incident with his wife and her lover. When he's released, things get really crazy with a young widow and the teacher's obsessive family.

The buzz: Thunderous. David O. Russell's ("The Fighter") film got an unexpectedly big response at the Toronto International Film Festival and has now surged to the front of the Oscar pack. There's a lot of talk about Bradley Cooper as the teacher, Jennifer Lawrence as the widow and Robert De Niro as the teacher's father all getting acting nominations.

"Anna Karenina"

Opens: Friday

The story: Here's yet another remake of the Tolstoy classic in which a Russian aristocrat married to a government official in czarist Russia falls for a young military officer.

The buzz: Director Joe Wright has a way with big-scale costume dramas (see "Atonement"), and the film really looks good if the trailers are any indication. There are some reservations about the storytelling, but the performances by Keira Knightley as Anna and Jude Law as her husband have attracted attention.

"Life of Pi"

Opens: Wednesday

The story: Based on the allegorical novel by Yann Martel, this film tells the story of a teenage boy who finds himself adrift on the open seas after a shipwreck. His only companion: a Bengal tiger who is less than happy to be there.

The buzz: Martel's wonderful book was considered almost as unfilmable as "Cloud Atlas," but if early buzz is accurate, director Ang Lee has cracked the code. It was a hit at the New York Film Festival, and the trailers are just gorgeous.

"Hitchcock"

Opens: Nov. 23

The story: This backstage drama focuses on the making of "Psycho" in 1959, as seen through the eyes of Alfred Hitchcock and his wife (and collaborator), Alma Reville.

The buzz: The movie got a rousing response at the recent AFI Festival in Los Angeles and is a late entry into the Oscar sweepstakes. Director Sacha Gervasi has very little experience behind the camera, but his "Anvil: The Story of Anvil" was a smart documentary. And you really have to like a cast that includes Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock, Helen Mirren as Alma and Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh.

"Killing Them Softly"

Opens: Nov. 30

The story: Ah, just what we need during the holidays: A nasty little crime flick. In this one, three small-time crooks get in way over their heads when they rob a card game protected by the mob.

The buzz: The film has been moved around a lot this year, but it finally found a spot on the schedule. Brad Pitt plays the hit man/enforcer who is called in to go after the crooks, and director Andrew Dominik did a nice job with 2007's "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (also with Pitt). The cast also includes James Gandolfini, Richard Jenkins and Ray Liotta.

"Hyde Park on Hudson"

Opens: Dec. 7

The story: It's a big year for presidential dramas. This one takes place right before World War II with England's reigning monarchs coming to America to bond with Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor. FDR is a bit distracted by his relationship with his distant cousin, Margaret Suckley.

The buzz: Mixed on the film, but there's a lot of buzz around the acting, most notably Bill Murray as FDR and Laura Linney as Suckley.

"The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey"

Opens: Dec. 14

The story: We're back in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien and "The Lord of the Rings." This prequel, which leads into the "Rings" trilogy, features the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, who journeys to the Lonely Mountain with a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure.

The buzz: Oh, come on. It's director Peter Jackson back in the vivid world he created with the "Rings" movies. The trailer are thoroughly engaging, and it looks like this film (the first of a "Hobbit" trilogy) has more humor than the "Rings." Folks will be lining up to see it.

"Not Fade Away"

Opens: Dec. 21

The story: Set in the New Jersey of the 1960s, the story follows a would-be rocker who forms his own band to break into the music business despite the disapproval of his father.

The buzz: David Chase of "The Sopranos" fame wrote and directed this period piece, which has been getting good response at screenings. Gandolfini pops up again, this time as the father. Steve Van Zandt from "The Sopranos" and the E Street Band oversaw the soundtrack.

"Django Unchained"

Opens: Dec. 25

The story: A freed slave teams up with a bounty hunter in an effort to free his wife from a nasty plantation owner.

The buzz: Ah, nothing says Christmas like Quentin Tarantino, right? But seriously, the trailers have been fascinating, and the star-studded cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Jonah Hill.

"Les Miserables"

Opens: Dec. 25

The story: It's the musical version of Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France. First staged in London in 1985, the musical (affectionately known as "Les Miz") has been on stage across the world ever since. If you haven't heard at least one of the songs, you've been living in a cave.

The buzz: Director Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech") has apparently cracked the code of transferring "Les Miz" from stage to film. Certainly, the footage that has gotten out looks fabulous, especially the one with Anne Hathaway as Fantine singing "I Dreamed a Dream." Also generating big Oscar buzz: a cast with Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen. The dream lives on indeed.